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HB1339 • 2026

Secretary of State

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47, Chapter 16, relative to relative to litigation financiers.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Lamberth, Stevens
Last action
2025-04-29
Official status
Comp. became Pub. Ch. 271
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide detailed information on enforcement mechanisms for non-compliance with registration changes.

Changes to Registration for Litigation Financiers

This bill changes how certain types of litigation financiers can update or cancel their registration with the Tennessee Secretary of State.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows a person who is not a business entity or partnership and provides money for lawsuits (a litigation financier) to change or end their registration with the state by filing a form prescribed by the secretary of state, along with a $20 fee.
  • Changes an existing law in Title 47, Chapter 16 of the Tennessee Code Annotated.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Litigation financiers who are not business entities or partnerships and want to change their registration with the state.
  • The Tennessee Secretary of State, who must provide a form for these changes.

Terms To Know

litigation financier
A person or company that provides money to help pay for lawsuits.
registration
The process of officially signing up with a government agency, like the Secretary of State's office.

Limits and Unknowns

  • Does not specify what happens if someone does not follow these new rules.
  • It is unclear how many litigation financiers will be affected by this change.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. became Pub. Ch. 271

  2. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Effective date(s) 04/24/2025

  3. 2025-04-29 Tennessee General Assembly

    Pub. Ch. 271

  4. 2025-04-24 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Governor.

  5. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Transmitted to Governor for action.

  6. 2025-04-21 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by H. Speaker

  7. 2025-04-17 Tennessee General Assembly

    Signed by Senate Speaker

  8. 2025-04-16 Tennessee General Assembly

    Enrolled and ready for signatures

  9. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  10. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Comp. SB subst.

  11. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed H., Ayes 94, Nays 0, PNV 1

  12. 2025-04-14 Tennessee General Assembly

    Subst. for comp. HB.

  13. 2025-04-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    H. Placed on Consent Calendar for 4/14/2025

  14. 2025-04-09 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. Calendar & Rules Committee for 4/10/2025

  15. 2025-04-08 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass; ref to Calendar & Rules Committee

  16. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/9/2025

  17. 2025-04-02 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/9/2025

  18. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 4/2/2025

  19. 2025-03-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 4/2/2025

  20. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/26/2025

  21. 2025-03-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/26/2025

  22. 2025-03-13 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rcvd. from S., held on H. desk.

  23. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/19/2025

  24. 2025-03-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/19/2025

  25. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Engrossed; ready for transmission to House

  26. 2025-03-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed Senate, Ayes 30, Nays 0

  27. 2025-03-07 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Consent Calendar 2 for 3/10/2025

  28. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/12/2025

  29. 2025-03-05 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action def. in State & Local Government Committee to 3/12/2025

  30. 2025-03-04 Tennessee General Assembly

    Recommended for passage, refer to Senate Calendar Committee

  31. 2025-02-26 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on cal. State & Local Government Committee for 3/5/2025

  32. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Rec. for pass by s/c ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  33. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  34. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 3/4/2025

  35. 2025-02-25 Tennessee General Assembly

    Action deferred in Senate Commerce and Labor Committee to 3/4/2025

  36. 2025-02-19 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on s/c cal Departments & Agencies Subcommittee for 2/25/2025

  37. 2025-02-18 Tennessee General Assembly

    Placed on Senate Commerce and Labor Committee calendar for 2/25/2025

  38. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Assigned to s/c Departments & Agencies Subcommittee

  39. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    P2C, ref. to State & Local Government Committee

  40. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Passed on Second Consideration, refer to Senate Commerce and Labor Committee

  41. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor(s) Added.

  42. 2025-02-12 Tennessee General Assembly

    Sponsor change.

  43. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Intro., P1C.

  44. 2025-02-10 Tennessee General Assembly

    Introduced, Passed on First Consideration

  45. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

  46. 2025-02-06 Tennessee General Assembly

    Filed for introduction

Official Summary Text

Abstract summarizes the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SENATE BILL 1137
By Lowe

HOUSE BILL 1339
By Lamberth

HB1339
003305
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 47,
Chapter 16, relative to relative to litigation
financiers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 47-16-103(c), is amended by
deleting the second sentence of the subsection and substituting:
A litigation financier that is not a business entity or partnership may amend or
withdraw its registration with the secretary of state by filing a form prescribed by
the secretary of state, along with a filing fee of twenty dollars ($20.00).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.